Pandora Unchained - a Cultivation Progression Fantasy

The golden barrier separating the core region from the rest of the catacombs was formed of millions of interlocking runic plates that covered the core of the city like a dome. Many of these plates had evidently tarnished over time due to the catacombs' excessive corruption, leading to conflicting arrangements disrupting the potent containment field.

At least a demigod had set up this containment field. As for why they weren't the ones fixing this mess, Daphne had an explanation. "Most of this containment field is beyond me, but most of them must abide by the principle of bidirectional resonance. There's a sort of careful pressure balance that must be maintained—just the act of sending us down here to clear out these elite demons will upset this balance somewhat and threaten the integrity of the seal. If a demigod were to come down here, there's no telling how quickly the barrier would be compromised, not to mention the barrier separating the catacombs from Delphi proper."

With Melinoë and Bast cooperating with the other mages attacking the barrier, it took them a little over three hours to create a gap in the barrier using a combination of distortion and purifying light magic. The resulting hole showed signs of fraying, indicating that the prison containing the many elites in the center would soon fail.

"Prepare to receive the initial charge," Melinoë instructed the heroes stationed just outside the rupture. "It will be dangerous, but there are ample Cores of Corruption for the taking. Everyone keeps what they kill. As for our five groups, we'll focus our efforts on the boss at the center."

Madness-filled screeches filled the air as the demons neared the rupture. Sensing freedom after being imprisoned for so long, they dashed toward the gap with everything they could muster. They were immediately hacked down by swords, spells, and rogues hiding in the shadows, but before long, another wave of desperate demons took their place.

"It's time to enter and fan out," said Melinoë. "Our five groups will cut a line toward the center, clearing out the most powerful demons in the process. Adam, I'll be relying on you." Her team's tank, a seven-foot-tall man in plate armor, stomped forward, shield in hand.

Adam's movements immediately attracted the elites' attention. Spines, spikes, and tentacles pierced toward him. Fortunately, Melinoë and Bast had given the matter some thought. Shields of light and distortion intercepted these attacks before they could even reach the metal-clad warrior.

Despite not dealing any damage, Adam's goal was achieved. Their five teams unleashed fire, poison, light, and arrows, blasting apart the five elites within three seconds. Each team methodically sent their rogues out to collect cores while the rest prepared spells to counterattack the next wave of demons.

Adam endured three waves and pressed on two hundred feet before he could no longer hold on. This was with the support of three life mages, several barrier spells, and the best healing potion he could find.

The White Tower Group sent someone out next—a mage specializing in barrier and shielding magic. The demons grew progressively stronger in the core region. They started as third-forging equivalents and gradually progressed until their joint teams only encountered fourth-forging demons.

A single tank soon wasn't enough, so Stephan and a zombie-like man from the Hargrave Clan stepped forward to share the burden. With such a strength disparity, a single mistake could easily result in a fatality.

It was under these unfavorable conditions that each team finally began displaying a hint of their true strength. Melinoë unleashed waves of nightmarish creatures upon the demons and used distortion to intercept some of the more deadly attacks. Michael from the Pollen Clan was another key figure; he devastated his enemies from afar with light-and-flame-infused arrows that blew his cover as a hidden God Seed bearing the inheritance of Apollo.

Sorin expected these two cultivators to dominate, but what was not expected was the virulence of Charles Hargrave's poisons and the golden light that accompanied them. Somehow, he too was a God Seed, bringing the total up to four, including Sorin, a corrupted God Seed.

"With three god seeds coming down here for a simple Shrine Descent, the matter is no longer simple," cautioned Gareth.

"There must be something going on behind the scenes," said Daphne, summoning a corrosive fireball between two elites that had just entered her range. She followed up with an altered version of Burning Salvo, which launched dozens of corrosive firebolts into the air and slammed them into a single target, burning away most of their corrupted flesh in the process.

"God Seeds seldom set foot outside Olympia," said Astley in a rare show of agreement. "The one from the Pollen Clan is within reason, but when has the Hargrave Clan ever produced a God Seed? And why would they risk sending him into Delphi's catacombs?"

Sorin was also inclined to agree after returning to his clan and studying some of their secret documents. While he didn't know much about specific god seeds, he knew that some clans, including the Pollen Clan, could purposefully nurture them.

God Seeds were important to any clan who produced them because the longer they lived and the more divine trials they passed, the more of their patron's inheritance they could obtain. While they couldn't pass down the entire inheritance to their clans, passing down portions was possible. What's more, these inheritances were almost always compatible with those sharing a bloodline with the God Seed.

"They might appear at odds, but they came here with a purpose in mind," agreed Sorin, thinking back on their previous interaction. "They didn't just know what we were up against—they came here to execute a mission."

"Didn't Stephan say the trial's contents are secret until the seal on the catacombs is broken?" asked Lawrence, sticking to the shadows to maintain his cover.

"I'd bet my hat that Administrator Pollen has a way around that," said Gareth, shooting a wind-infused arrow at a one-eyed monstrosity. "Moreover, it's quite possible that there are a few unchanging factors with every opening, and many contingency plans were made. The real question is whether or not we should continue." He looked to Sorin for guidance.

"It wouldn't do to pull out mid-battle," said Sorin, summoning a large spear of acid and tossing it at the same demon Gareth had struck. The demon's brain melted, and it collapsed to the ground in a melting mess. " Also, the aggression I sensed from the four groups is within reasonable limits. Our factions are hostile, but they don't seem to be out to get us specifically.

"That said, we should be careful and ready to withdraw at the earliest signs of danger. I wouldn't put it past them to 'accidentally' harm us while executing whatever missions they're on.

With all five groups working in tandem, they soon arrived at the center of the core region, where the corruption was thickest. The madness in Sorin's blood immediately stirred as he arrived, as did the Divine Bone Rot. He felt an intense urge to kill and was forced to stab a dagger into his leg to regain clarity of mind.

The others also took a moment to compose themselves, the exceptions being Melinoë, Michael, and Charles. Golden light, which had been barely visible before, suddenly burst out in response to the corruption. Sorin's own divinity almost did as well, but thanks to the fox head medallion, he was able to suppress it.

"This is the core of the inner seal," Melinoë explained as their groups came together. "According to Administrator Pollen, whose father set the current outer seal, it was built to accommodate corruption, thereby preserving the seal's longevity and ensuring a clear separation between the most recent and older catacombs.

"As predicted, the inner seal's condition is terrible. Even without our intervention, it wouldn't have lasted more than a few more years before rupturing. Therefore, this year's Shrine Descent will be more dangerous than normal but also more lucrative. The first round involves clearing out the core entity in the first catacomb, while the second and third rounds will involve clearing out the second and third catacombs, respectively. Only then will we be able to restore the original seal and preserve Delphi for another century?

"But first, the floor boss. It is a sealed three-star demon that cultivators of the first forging can theoretically not face. But for God Seeds and those wielding divine artifacts or arts… anything is possible."

Melinoë stepped forward and raised a black-gemmed staff. The mists of madness in the catacomb were suddenly drawn into her nightmares, producing enhanced versions that launched themselves at the massive creature slumbering at the center.

They bit into its flesh and ate up the runes on its eyes and its skin until. With every bite, the creatures grew more potent. Yet their actions provoked the creature at the center. The mists in the catacombs shivered as tens of eyes broke open their stitches and shot open. The space around them suddenly distorted, and their five groups found themselves in separate locations, each one filled with shadowy tentacles and icy magic.

"Um, guys?" said Lawrence. "I don't mean to be a negative Nancy, but I don't think I can hide very well in this kind of darkness."

Astley was fast on her feet and summoned a group of demonic rats, who fought back against the tentacles and prevented their encroachment. "This thing has me completely countered. Anything I summon won't last more than a half minute.

A ball of green fire exploded beside the creature's eye-covered 'body.' "My damage is greatly reduced. At least by 70%. Also, is that a mass of tentacles breaking off from the main body to attack us?" Their team scattered to avoid the mass of flesh, which then split up into dozens more masses that immediately attacked their closest target.

Daphne, Astley, and Gareth were in trouble, but thankfully, Stephan was fast on his feet. He used Natural Selection to provoke the creature, then activated Ice Hell Prison and Ice Hell Armor to initiate a counterattack that shattered the creature's frozen tentacles before they could grab hold of them.

"What are you all waiting for?!" shouted Stephan as he prepared to receive another wave. " Our job is simple: draw fire away from the God Seeds, Sorin, and Bast. Sorin, have you got a clear picture of it yet?"

"Three seconds," said Sorin. "Two. One." Patient Viper's Analysis took a little longer to work on the three-star demon, but he was eventually able to pick out the thousands of tiny organs along with key bones and the location of its core. "I'll be testing a few things out over the next few minutes. Please cover me." He then activated his Wraith Hare boots to close the gap and stabbed into the bulky mass with his enchanted dagger.